ICYMI: catch up with health news that you may have missed – local, national and global

ICYMI: diplomatic developments, celebrating women, wellbeing in Wales, COVID concerns and research to note

Melissa Sweet
Melissa Sweet
Thursday, March 9, 2023

Climate emergency, ICYMI, #CroakeyREAD, Alcohol, Gambling, Indigenous health, Women's health, Abortion, Global health, Workforce matters, Public health, Obesity, Health and medical research

If current trends continue in the United States, more than 100,000 public health staff will have left their workplaces by 2025 – about half of the governmental public health workforce.

These new research findings are a powerful reminder of the wide-ranging impacts of the pandemic. In Australia, meanwhile, the latest Actuary Institute calculations suggest nearly 20,000 more deaths occurred last year than would have been expected if the pandemic had not happened.

Meanwhile, our latest column also brings wide-ranging global health, climate and research news, as well as details of upcoming events and recommendations for reading and viewing. Don’t miss the International Women’s Day selfies, celebrations and concerns.

Ambassador for First Nations People

The Australian Government this week announced the appointment of Justin Mohamed, a Gooreng Gooreng man from Bundaberg, Queensland, as the inaugural Ambassador for First Nations People.

Mohamed will lead the Office of First Nations Engagement in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, taking up the role next month.

Currently Deputy Secretary of Aboriginal Justice in the Victorian Government, he has worked for decades in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, social justice and reconciliation, in roles spanning the Aboriginal community, government and corporate sectors.

He was previously Chief Executive Officer for Reconciliation Australia, Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, and has represented Indigenous organisations internationally, including at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

The Government’s statement said that elevating the perspectives of First Nations people – this land’s first diplomats – enables deeper engagement with many of our closest partners including the Pacific family. This new position means Australia will have dedicated Indigenous representation in our international engagement.

Mohamed said he is excited about the opportunities ahead to embed First Nations voices and knowledge into Australia’s foreign policies and trade.

“I am looking forward to sitting down and listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country, as we develop foreign policies that have First Nations People’s knowledges, voice and connection to country front and centre,” he said in the statement.

Global health

It sounds like Treasurer Jim Chalmers needs to take a trip to Wales to help inform his wellbeing budget.

The World Health Organization recently hosted an event showcasing how Wales is embedding people’s health and wellbeing at the heart of decision-making, whether dealing with the cost of living crisis, climate change or health inequalities.

Of note:

The Well-being of Future Generations Act details seven wellbeing goals and places a duty on all public policy development in Wales to be sustainable and equitable.
Wales plans to become the first country to introduce mandatory Health Impact Assessment for a wide range of public bodies in specific circumstances.

Read: A decisive moment for the World BankRead the paper on preventing zoonotic spilloverRead: A manifesto for preparedness Watch the presentation on the need for effective policies to reduce alcohol harms.

COVID toll

Articles below highlight the ongoing toll that COVID is taking upon health and wellbeing, life expectancy and the workforce.

Research published in Health Affairs estimates that if current trends continue in the United States, more than 100,000 public health staff will have left their workplaces by 2025, or as much as half of the governmental public health workforce in total. “Given the likelihood of increasing outbreaks and future global pandemics, strategies to improve recruitment and retention must be prioritised,” say the authors.

The article in Forbes says global life expectancy has dropped two years in a row for the first time since 1959, and if it drops again in 2022 this will be “historically unprecedented in modern history”.

Read this Twitter thread on the UK actuaries report. Read the latest actuaries’ report on excess deaths in Australia, estimating there were nearly 20,000 more deaths in 2022 than would have been expected if the pandemic had not happened. Just over half of the expected excess mortality for 2022 is due to deaths from COVID-19 (10,300 deaths), with another 2,900 where COVID-19 was a contributing factor, and the remaining excess of 6,600 with no mention of COVID-19 on the death certificate. While most of the excess deaths are in people over 65, excess mortality is a significant percentage in all age groups in 2022.Read in Health Affairs: Demographic And Clinical Factors Associated With Long COVID